A Drive to Give

While Autumn may mean changing leaves, pumpkin spice lattes and upcoming holidays to some, to the members of Nemesis, the Robbinsville High School FIRST Robotics Team 2590, it means contributing to the community.

For the duration of late October to Thanksgiving, Nemesis facilitated its annual food drive by partnering with the students, teachers, and families of Sharon Elementary School with the winning class awarded with a robotics demonstration from members of the team. Spearheaded by 2590’s designated food drive team (freshmen Nicholas Began and Ethan Silberberg, sophomore Jarelle Boac, junior Liam O’Toole, and senior Mitaali Taskar), the drive accumulated over 3,000 donations. While originally planned to be stored at the Robbinsville Food Pantry, the overwhelming amount of food items accrued resulted in a large chunk of the foodstuffs being delivered to the Allentown Food Bank.

While the team initially expected approximately 800 donations by the end of the function, FRC 2590 eventually found itself with literal houses full of cake mix, instant noodles, pasta, cans of soup and (in one case) a bottle of molasses. The cornucopia of non-perishable items required multiple vans and a volunteer crew of 15 students and parents to transfer from their storage depot at a team member’s household and the high school. Upon arriving at the Robbinsville Food Pantry and after starting unloading, the senior center staff realized that the enormous amount of donations would completely fill up their storage. From there, the crew hastily packed the extra crates of food into their cars and rushed over to Allentown’s Food Pantry in order to arrive before it closed for the night. Luckily, the crew reached the church in time to unload its now reasonably sized bounty of only +2,000 cans and return to the school.

A freshman on the marketing team, Ethan Silberberg, elaborated, “You know this event has gone very well when it takes not one, but two, pantries to hold all the donations. I’m extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish and thoroughly impressed with the generosity of the Sharon School Students as well as my fellow teammates.”

The 2015 food drive has been a massive success as well as a demonstration of community values throughout both Robbinsville and Allentown. With the prior record set last year capping off at a little over 1,250 cans and boxes, the number of donations has more than doubled, shattering both the previous record and the team’s expectations.

“I can’t help but smile at the fact that this food will brighten up the days of so many right in time for Thanksgiving,” said Jarelle Boac, a sophomore marketing team member. Ms. Boac was also project leader during the drive and represented the team when coordinating with Sharon Elementary School.

In response to the generosity of both Nemesis and Sharon Elementary, Ms. Joan Witherow of the Allentown Food Pantry wrote, ““A special thank you for your giving spirit. We just can’t thank you enough. We are so grateful...We continue to be busier than ever and with your generosity we will be able to better serve those in need.” Mrs. Renee Burns of the Robbinsville Food Pantry also expressed sincere gratitude towards the overwhelming total of donations.

Overall, FRC 2590 is extremely proud and grateful for all those who helped with the 2015 Annual Food Drive and a special thanks is extended to both the Robbinsville Food Pantry and the Allentown Food Bank for being available to accept the massive number of donations. Moreover, as the drive could not have been successful without them, the team also thanks all of the parents who volunteered their time and vehicles to house and transport the donations.

However, perhaps the most deserving of thanks are the students, families and faculty of Sharon Elementary School. Without their seemingly boundless generosity, the drive would have not have been possible. Nemesis plans to continue embodying an active role in the community and collaborating

If you are interested in donating to the Robbinsville Food Pantry, it is located at the rear of the Robbinsville Senior Center at 1117 U.S. 130, Robbinsville, NJ 08691.

For more information on how to donate, please contact Renee Burns via email at Renee@robbinsville-twp.org or phone at (609) 259-1567 for more information.

If you are interested in donating to the Allentown Food Pantry, it is located at 20 High St, Allentown, NJ 08501.For information on how to donate, please contact by phone (609) 259-7289.